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Greetings from Filth City! Earlier this week, the results of a survey conducted by Travel & Leisure magazine revealed that New York is the nation’s dirtiest metropolis. Gee, what a shock. Any subway rat or tenement roach could have told you that!

Not Too Dredd-fulShockingly, the reviews for Dredd 3D actually are decent. I’d have bet good money that this film had cow pie written all over it, but I’m quite pleased to be wrong (hell, I’m used to that). If you like seeing people shot to pieces, stabbed, and beaten to a pulp, then this is your flick. The Judge goes up against Clint Eastwood’s baseball comedy Trouble with the Curve, which garnered moderate reviews. I’ve been a Clint fan longer than a lot of you have been alive, but baseball films as a rule don’t make a dime, although many of them have been quite good, so my money is on Dredd to bench Curve this weekend, which isn’t saying much considering box office returns are the lowest in a decade.

X-Men Go Back to SchoolThe X-Men were formed in a school so it’s quite appropriate that they’re going back.Chris Claremont, who comics’ fans immediately will recognize as the power behind the X-Men for many years, has donated his archive to Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The donation will be a sort of basis for Columbia’s creation of a research center for comics archives. Our old friend Calvin Reid over at PW has a very thorough story on the whole deal.

Wii U is P.U.?The Wii rocked hard for years, but recently it has been outgunned by newer systems. Trying to regain some of the market share it lost, Nintendo is releasing a revamped version, dubbed the Wii U, later this year. Will the Wii rock again? I asked LJ Games columnist, M. Brandon Robbins for his take:

“I think it might be too little, too late for Nintendo to hang on to the hardcore gamer as a core customer. The Wii U is introducing features that the PS3 and Xbox 360 have had for a while now, which puts them behind the curve in a lot of ways, and while the user interface definitely has some potential for new and innovative game mechanics, I think the Wii name is now almost exclusively synonymous with casual gaming. This isn’t a bad thing, mind you, but I don’t think Nintendo will ever again reach the universal appeal they had during the 16-bit era.”

Although he passed many years ago and far, far too young, Geeky Friday remembers Jim Henson, who would have turned 76 next Monday (9/24/36).

Bilbo at 75Lastly, happy 75th anniversary to The Hobbit, published this day in 1937. It’ll be on the best seller list after the film adaptation debuts in December. Bilbo’s hole in the ground will be stuffed with cash!

Many thanks for stopping by. Have a great weekend. Don’t forget to get your geek on, baby!